London, England: July 3rd

Today we kept very busy going on tours and running all around London! 

We started the day by going to see the Tower of London. This place is packed full of history!! We went to a building called The Crown of Jewels where they have old crowns, swords, and clothing decked out in amazing jewelry! The other area we focused on had many of the past king's armor! I was really surprised at how short many of them were! There were also cool cannons and firearms in this section of the tour.

 
 

The Tower Bridge

After seeing the Tower of London we went on the City Cruise boat ride down the river over to Westminster Abby! The boat cruise was great and we enjoyed our own little picnic along the way. 

Westminster Abby was incredible!! This is a church where they do normal everyday worships, along with corrinations of the kings and queens. A LOT of royalty has been buried there as well. They give people little radio things that talk as you go to each section of the place. It was really interesting! I was mostly impressed with how old everything is!! I remember them saying that the tiles on the ground where people are corrinated is from the 1200's!!!!! Isn't that crazy?! That blew my mind! The building was gorgeous on the inside and out. The stain glass was amazing, as well as all of the statues on the inside. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pictures of the inside, but trust me, it was beautiful and worth seeing if you are in the neighborhood! 

Shakesphere's Globe Theatre Gallery Tour

To end the night off right we went and saw the musical WICKED in theatre!! It was incredible and I think I can say that it's my favorite musical that I've seen. (Les Miserables comes super close though). Alex and I were like giddy little kids because of how excited we were to see this! I had seen it before, but loved it even more the 2nd time. It was fun hearing it with a British accent too! "Doncing through life..." All the a's turned to o's, even in the singing. Pretty funny! That was the only difference I noticed from seeing it in Arizona compared to London! Such an amazing experience! :)

 

London, England: July 1st & 2nd

Our Europe trip has begun!!

Day 1:

Alex and I met up at the Las Vegas airport and were both happy to see that we were not alone in the struggle to pack light with our carry-on size bags... But we did it!! Our first flight was to Washington D.C.! The 4 hour flight went super fast and we even made a new friend who is from London. He was super friendly and gave us some suggestions for our time in London! We landed in D.C. around 9pm and caught our next flight to London shortly after for about 7 hours! This flight felt pretty long because I only got a couple hours of sleep. But on the plus side, I did get to watch Frozen and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days! We landed into London at 10:15 with about 2-3 hours of sleep and a full day ahead of ourselves!

Day 2: 

After leaving the airport we found the place we are staying at. We used the site airbnb.com and are staying in a girl's dorm she's renting out. Let's just say it's pretty tricky trying to meet up with people when your cell phone only works in Wifi and you can't find a Wifi spot. Haha! We eventually found a way to meet up with the girl and got settled into our cozy room! 

After dropping off our backpacks we hit the streets of London! Alex and I loved walking around and soaking in all the gorgeous sites! I seriously feel like I'm dreaming as I'm up close and personal with such historic and famous places! I love it!! So today we just walked near Big Ben, Westminster Abby, the London Eye, Trafalgar Square, and a couples other places I can't name off the top of my head. I love the buildings, the variety of people here, and the history! 

Tomorrow we will be doing some tours and learning more about the places we casually viewed today. We will also be going to the theatre! I'll tell you more after it happens! I couldn't be happier to be here and look forward to the adventures Alex and I will be having over the next month!! 

We're going to Europe!!

Guess what?! I'm going to Europe next week with my sister Alex!

For the whole month of July we will be backpacking through...

England, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, 

and maybe some other places if we have time! I AM SO EXCITED!!! We have been prepping and planning for this trip for months and it's unreal to think we will be there so soon!

I've been reading books, researching places online, watching youtube videos about different cities, making daily itineraries, blog stalking other backpackers, and the works! Maybe it's a little excessive, but this kind of opportunity may never come again so we are milking it for all it's worth! My only worry for the time being is figuring out a way to pack my life for a month into a carry-on size backpack! I'm not known for being a light packer, so this will be miracle if I can fit what I need and only bring the bare essentials. Wish me luck!

I plan to post about our European adventures on this blog so you can experience the journey with us! Before I blast this blog with my trip, I should probably get it all caught up with what has been going on in life since I last posted.

Here are the highlights!

I graduated from Arizona State University in December of 2013!!

Lexi and Taylor Haws got married on January 18, 2014! 

What an amazing and absolutely perfect day! They were married in the Mesa Temple and then had a ring ceremony and reception at the Wright House. I loved having so many friends and family in one place celebrating their big day! I couldn't be happier for the little love birds! Taylor and Lex are my best friends and I love them very much! 

General Conference & my mission reunion!

I loved being able to attend general conference, listen to their uplifting and inspiring messages, and see the prophet and apostles up close and personal! We scored some really amazing tickets that had us rows away from the front pulpit. We felt really grateful for that experience because it probably won't ever happen again! haha

What I especially loved was being able to see my Nebraska Omaha Mission FAMILY! It was so great to see so many people that I served with on my mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! Words can't describe how much I love these people! 

Hangin' with the family!

Workin' 2 Jobs & keeping busy!

Cognitive Trainer

For the past year I've been working for LearningRx as a Cognitive Trainer where I train brains!! I love this job and it has been so rewarding! If you are curious about it feel free to check out the website and learn about neuroplasticity and all that cool stuff! It's pretty fascinating... at least to me! :) http://www.learningrx.com

Nanny

I also work part-time as a nanny! I watch a cute, little baby who I'm in love with! The pictures above are from a fun photo shoot I did with her not long ago. Isn't she adorable?! I couldn't be more grateful for this job because I work for an incredible family who I've become really close to! They've become life-long friends, whether they like it or not! haha ;) 

Well, that is a very brief summary of the major events in my life! Life is great and I couldn't be happier!

Stay tuned for mine and Alex's Europe backpacking extravaganza!!

While I'm gone you can contact me through Facebook or at my email, jennjones214@gmail.com.

ALSO, if you have any tips, tricks, or suggestions about places to visit in each of the countries we will be in, please let me know! 

Waves of Change

So many exciting and life-changing events are taking place in the lives of those I am closest to. Lexi, Rachel, and Jason are taking major steps in life and I couldn't be happier for them! I love each of them and will sum up all of the latest news for you!

Lexi & Taylor --> ENGAGED!!!

(My little sister & future brother-in-law)

Here is their engagement story from my perspective:

On a warm, Fall, Arizonan day Taylor took Lexi to Kiwanis Park for a breakfast picnic. They sat, talked, ate, took pictures, and the works. In the meantime, their favorite sister, Jenn (myself), was close by crouched behind a car on the side of the street creepily taking pictures of these two, anxiously awaiting the moment. I waited, took pictures of them, waited, and mostly got stared down by drivers passing by as I'm hiding with a big SLR camera. 

Finally I see some movement and Lexi quickly stands up off the picnic blanket and is jumping like a 4 year old saying, "Where is she?! Where is she hiding?!" haha, I assumed Lex was talking about me and figured Taylor had transitioned into getting ready to pop the question...

After the fact I came to find that she was talking about me, but Taylor's transition wasn't necessary when a random lady (that I couldn't see from my view) came and told them that there was someone taking pictures of them on the street. (HAHAHA!!) Taylor tried to play it off and was like, "Okay, thanks" and kept talking to Lex. The worried and concerned woman continued and said, "No really, there is someone taking pictures of you guys over there and I just thought I should let you know." (She'll never know she will be a part of their engagement story.) 

That was when Lex got up and anxiously was looking around for me, but also got really excited because she knew what was coming. (I would've loved to know what went through Taylor's mind at that time- Uhhh, not quite how I planned it, but I guess that's my que!) At that point he got on his knee, Lex was squealing and laughing like a teenage girl, he popped the question and asked for her hand in marriage, and she said YES!!! Happy day!! I am so excited for them and am glad I could be there to witness this event!

Rachel & Tim --> ENGAGED!!!

(My friend and roommate & her fiancé Timbo)

These two cuties got engaged as well!! I love both of them and think they make a great pair! You won't find a nicer and more caring couple! I feel lucky to have been here to witness their relationship from the very beginning up to marriage. I can't wait for their big day!! (Tim you owe me for stealing my awesome roommate!)

Jenn & Jason -->

Can you guess what's coming next?? 

Jason --> MISSION CALL!!!

Yup, that's right... Jason is going on a mission!!

He has been called to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Idaho Nampa Mission! He reports to the Provo MTC on November 13th. He is going to be such an incredible missionary and will be changing the lives of all those Idahoans!

I couldn't be happier for him to be going on a full-tme mission to serve the Lord! He will seriously be an such an amazing missionary! I really respect and admire his decision to serve, even with being 25 years old, graduated with an engineering degree, and having a lot going for him at home. He is sacrificing more than the average 18 or 19 year old boy to serve and will see incredible blessings because of that. He has had quite the journey getting to this point and is very prepared because of the work he's put into having a strong testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Although I am extremely excited for him, it will be really sad to let him go. 

And that leaves...

ME --> ???

There's a reason why this blog post is titled "Waves of Change." I'm feeling a large amount of change coming it's way and it's going to get crazy.

Right now:

Life is great! 

I am a senior at ASU and will be graduating in December. I am president of the Tempe LDS Institute Council at ASU. I am a research assistant on campus. I work part-time as a cognitive/brain trainer. I am dating an incredible and amazing man. I live with two great roommates and friends. 

I keep super busy with each of these aspects of my life and I love it! I enjoy being involved, serving, and spending time with family and friends. Unfortunately, pretty much ALL of these things are coming to an end or drastically changing within the next few months. 

In the near future:

• Jason, my boyfriend, leaves on his mission in November. This is going to be a really sad change for me. We plan to keep in touch, but in the meantime I'll probably still date around and see what happens. 
• Come December I will be graduated! Woo hoo! No more school until I do my masters! 
• My research assistant position will also come to an end when I graduate. 
• Sadly, I probably won't be able to continue as the institute council president because I will hopefully have a full-time job next semester.
• My right hand woman, Lexi, is getting married in January and I feel like I'll never see her again! I know that's not the case, but that's how it seems to be with all my other married friends. haha!

On a positive note, I know that change is good. Uncomfortable, YES. But it can also be very beneficial. It will be a great time for growth, new job experiences, random hobbies, hanging out with different crowds, and making new friends!


Last but not least, General Conference was great this weekend and helped me feel more hopeful about embracing all of this change that will be happening soon! I love hearing the words of wisdom that come from the prophet and apostles! Some quotes that I really like include:

 If you are experiencing big decisions or lots of change as well, remember that the Lord will guide you and will always be with you! It's all part of His great plan! :)

I'm Back!

Hello there! 

Over two years ago I said my good-byes to this blog and went on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I came home in January and rushed back into school 3 days later for the Spring 2013 semester. With the craziness of getting back into real life and immediately starting school, I was in a whirlwind and didn't even consider starting my up my blog again until recently. Although this will be a crazy busy semester, I've decided I am going to make the time keep it updated! (That's the plan at least!) 

I have family and friends who claim they heard more about my life and daily happenings while I was on my mission than they do now that I'm home. Hopefully this can help with keeping people I'm close with more in the loop! It's also for my own sake so that I can have a more visual (and not as personal) journal to document my life. Those are the motivating forces that have led me to start the blog back up again. So I look forward to sharing with you my major life events and random thoughts.

{So much has happened in the past 26 months since my last blog entry! To fill the major gap from my last post, I'll start by recapping my mission in Nebraska the best I can without writing a novel. Wish me luck!}

Once upon a time...

On July 20, 2011 I left for my mission in Nebraska and had an INCREDIBLE experience! I loved my mission so much and met many amazing people. Not only was I able to see many lives changed, but my own life was changed in the process. I grew to love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ even more by serving them with all of my heart and abilities. 

I also loved serving at the Mormon Trail Center at Historic Winter Quarters! The Mormon pioneers are awesome!! They are such a strong, dedicated, and faithful group of people! I was able to give tours to people and discuss gospel principles along with the journey of the Mormon pioneers from Nauvoo, Illinios, to Winter Quarters, all the way to Salt Lake City, and many places in between. 

A big and happy family...
I was very blessed to have all amazing companions and be around other incredible sisters as well! There were normally about 28 of us sisters that served at the visitors center at a time, so I was able to interact with and get to know many outstanding women! I was fortunate enough to serve with and learn from the senior couples. I loved learning from their wisdom and life experiences. They treated all of us younger sisters as if we were their granddaughters and made us feel very loved. We were a huge, happy family at the visitors center!

What you might not have known:

I had two incredible mission presidents, both with amazing wives: I love all of them so much and each couple played a significant role in my life!

The Kunz's

One of my first days in Nebraska. :)

The Weston's

One of my last days in Nebraska. :(

Nebraska has bi-polar weather... 

Summer time VS. Winter time

(A night and day difference.)

The Nebraska Omaha Mission covers most of Nebraska and little parts of Iowa, Kansas, and South Dakota.

Here we are in South Dakota for a zone conference!

 Right across the street from Mormon Trail Center there is the Winter Quarters Temple and cemetery!  (Don't know much about Winter Quarters? Click HERE to read some history.)

 "It has been referred to as the tragedy of Winter Quarters, but there was no tragedy here, for tragedy spells defeat and disaster. This was the victory of Winter Quarters, for here was faith and hope and charity raised to their loftiest pinnacles, while greed and selfishness were brought low. There are times and places in the life of every nation when great spiritual heights are reached, when courage become a living thing, when faith in God stands as the granite mountain wall firm and immovable, while hardships, want, hunger, sickness, sorrow and death beat down to crush. Winter Quarters was such a time and place for the Mormon people" (President Heber J. Grant, September 20, 1936, dedication of the Winter Quaters Monument).

Did I mention that it gets SUPER cold in Nebraska? 

Yeah, that's what we looked like walking out in the wind and snow. :) That's not creepy or anything. haha!

Good-Bye NE, Hello AZ!
Eventually all good things come to an end. I came home from my mission on January 4, 2013. I was welcomed at the airport by my loving family! I was very happy to see my family and friends back home! If it weren't for them I would've tried hiding out in NE to be a missionary longer. My family and friends were a huge support to me on my mission! It was a great reunion and I have enjoyed being able to spend time with them ever since! 

In Summary...

I loved my mission and wouldn't trade the experiences I had for the world! I refuse to make the mission the highlight of my life though. It has only gotten better since then and I have had some great missionary experiences since being home. My mission has been a great springboard, which has given me greater confidence in following the Spirit, serving those around me, and doing whatever the Lord would have me do. The journey has only begun and I can't wait to see what else Heavenly Father has up his sleeve for my life! I know that as I am obedient and doing the Lord's will, He can make so much more of my life than I ever could on my own. I'm grateful I can have confidence in His plan!

I'm all blogged out for now so I'll update you on the past 9 months next time! Thanks for reminiscing with me!